The Eastern State Penitentiary is one of
America's former prisons. It was operational from 1829 until 1971
and is located on Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and
North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section
of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Its
revolutionary system of incarceration was the first to establish
the policy of separate confinement, emphasizing principles of
reform rather than punishment. Notorious criminals such as bank
robber Willie
Sutton and Al Capone
were held inside its unique wagon wheel design. When the building
was erected it was the largest and most expensive public structure
ever constructed, quickly becoming a model for more than 300
prisons worldwide.

It is currently a U.S. National Historic
Landmark.[2],
open to the public as a museum for tours seven days a week, twelve
months a year 10 am to 5 pm.

Contents

History

Designed by John
Haviland and opened on October 25, 1829, Eastern State is
considered to be the world's first true penitentiary, despite the
fact that the Walnut Street Jail, which opened in 1776, was called
a "penitentiary" as early as 1790 . Eastern State's revolutionary
system of incarceration, dubbed the "Pennsylvania System" or Separate
system, encouraged separate confinement (the warden was legally
required to visit every inmate every day, and the overseers were
mandated to see each inmate three times a day) as a form of
rehabilitation.

The Pennsylvania System was opposed contemporaneously by the Auburn System (also known as the New York
System), which held that prisoners should be forced to work
together in silence, and could be subjected to physical punishment
(Sing
Sing prison was an example of the Auburn system). Although the
Auburn system was favored in the United States, Eastern State's
radial floor plan and system of solitary confinement was the model
for over 300 prisons worldwide. The original goal was for prisoners
to want to open up to God, thus seeking penance.

The original design of the cells were separated by a metal door
and a wooden door to filter out noise. The halls were designed to
have the feel of a church. Some believe that the doors
were small so prisoners would have a harder time getting out,
minimizing an attack to a security guard. The cells were made of
concrete with a single glass skylight,
representing the "Eye of God", hinting to the prisoners that God
was always watching them. Outside the cell, there was an individual
area for exercise, enclosed by high walls so prisoners couldn't
communicate. Each exercise time for each prisoner was synchronized
so no two prisoners would be out at the same time. Prisoners were
allowed to garden and even keep pets in their exercise yards. When
prisoners left the cell, a guard would accompany them and wrap them
in a hood.

The original design of the building was for seven one-story cell
blocks, but by the time cell block three was completed, it was
already over capacity. From then on, all the other cell blocks were
two floors. Toward the end, cell blocks 14 and 15 were hastily
built due to overcrowding. They were built and designed by
prisoners. Cell block 15 was for the worst prisoners, and the
guards were gated off.

A typical cell

It was widely believed (then and now) that the policy of keeping
prisoners in intense isolation, rather than leading to the
spiritual actualization and social reform it intended, induced
significant mental illness among many of its prisoners
instead. The system eventually collapsed due to overcrowding
problems. By 1913, Eastern State officially abandoned the solitary
system and operated as a congregate prison until it closed in 1970
(Eastern State was briefly used to house city inmates in 1971 after
a riot at Holmesburg Prison).

Al Capone's cell.

The prison was one of the largest public-works projects of the
early republic, and was a tourist destination in the 19th century.
Notable visitors included Charles Dickens and Alexis
de Tocqueville while notable inmates included Willie Sutton and
Al Capone. Visitors
spoke with prisoners in their cells, proving that inmates were not
isolated, though the prisoners themselves were not allowed to have
any visits with family or friends during their stay.

The Penitentiary was intended not simply to punish, but to move
the criminal toward spiritual reflection and change. While some
have argued that the Pennsylvania System was Quaker-inspired, there is
little evidence to support this; the organization that promoted
Eastern State's creation, the Society for Alleviating the Miseries
of Public Prisons (today's Pennsylvania Prison
Society) was in fact less than half Quaker, and was led for
nearly fifty years by Philadelphia's Anglican bishop, William White.
Proponents of the system believed strongly that the criminals,
exposed, in silence, to thoughts of their behavior and the ugliness
of their crimes, would become genuinely penitent. In reality, the
guards and councilors of the facility designed a variety of
physical and psychological torture regimens for various
infractions, including dousing prisoners in freezing water outside
during winter months, chaining their tongues to their wrists in a
fashion such that struggling against the chains could cause the
tongue to tear, strapping prisoners into chairs with tight leather
restraints for days on end, and putting them into a pit called "The
Hole" dug under cellblock 14 where they would have no light, no
human contact, and little food for as long as two weeks.

In 1924, Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot allegedly sentenced Pep
"The Cat-Murdering Dog" to a life sentence at Eastern State. Pep
allegedly murdered the governor’s wife’s cherished cat. Prison
records reflect that Pep was assigned an inmate number (no. C2559),
which is seen in his mug shot. However, the reason for Pep’s
incarceration remains a subject of some debate. A newspaper article
reported that the governor donated his own dog to the prison to
increase inmate morale.[3]

On April 3, 1945, a major prison escape was carried out by
twelve inmates (including the infamous Willie Sutton) who over the course of a
year managed to dig an undiscovered 97-foot tunnel under the prison
wall to freedom. During renovations in the 1930s an additional 30
incomplete inmate-dug tunnels were also discovered.

The prison was closed and abandoned in 1971. Many prisoners and
guards were transferred to Graterford Prison, about 31 miles west of
Eastern State. The City of Philadelphia purchased the property with
the intention of redeveloping it. The site had several proposals,
including a mall, and a luxury apartment complex surrounded by the
old prison walls

During the abandoned era (from closing until the late 80s) a
"forest" grew in the cell blocks and outside within the walls. The
prison also became home to many stray cats.

In 1988, the Eastern State Penitentiary Task Force successfully
petitioned Mayor Wilson Goode to halt redevelopment. In
1994, Eastern State opened to the public for historic tours.

Architectural
significance

Eastern State Penitentiary's radial plan served as the model for
hundreds of later prisons.

When the Eastern State Penitentiary, or Cherry Hill as it was
known at the time, was erected in 1829 (the idea of this new prison
was created in a meeting held at Benjamin Franklin's house in 1787)
it was the largest and most expensive public structure in the
country.[5]
Its architectural significance first arose in 1821, when British
architect John
Haviland was chosen to design the building. Haviland found most
of his inspiration for his plan for the penitentiary from prisons
and asylums built beginning in the 1780s in England and Ireland.
These complexes consist of cell wings radiating in a semi or full
circle array from a center tower from where the prison could be
kept under constant surveillance. The design for the penitentiary
which Haviland devised became known as the hub-and-spoke plan which
consisted of an octagonal center connected by corridors to seven
radiating single-story cell blocks, each containing two ranges of
large single cells—8 x 12 feet x 10 feet high- with hot water
heating, a water tap, toilet, and individual exercise yards the
same width as the cell.[5]
There were rectangular openings in the cell wall through which food
and work materials could be passed to the prisoner, as well as
peepholes for guards to observe prisoners without being seen. To
minimize the opportunities for communication between inmates
Haviland designed a basic flush toilet for each cell with
individual pipes leading to a central sewer which he hoped would
prevent the sending of messages between adjacent cells.[5]
Despite his efforts, prisoners were still able to communicate with
each other and the flushing system had to be redesigned several
times. Haviland remarked that he chose the design to promote
"watching, convenience, economy, and ventilation" (Norman Johnson,
Crucible of Good Intentions:35). Once construction of the prison
was completed in 1836, it could house 450 prisoners.[6]

John Haviland completed the architecture of the Eastern state
penitentiary in 1836. Each cell was lit only by a single lighting
source from either skylights or windows, was considered the “window
of God” or “Eye of God”. The church viewed imprisonment, usually in
isolation, as an instrument that would modify sinful or disruptive
behavior. The time spent in prison will help inmates reflect on
their crimes committed giving them the mission for redemption.
Gothic churches and cathedrals were mainly built in Europe, France
and England in the 13th through the 17th centuries. The structure
was not only built in a Gothic style to intimidate wrongdoers, but
to remind the free citizens what might befall on them should they
break the law."[7][8]

Modern-day

The Eastern State Penitentiary operates as a museum and historic
site, open year-round. Guided tours are offered during the winter,
and during the warmer months, self-guided tours are also available
(narrated mainly by Steve Buscemi, with former guards,
wardens and prisoners also contributing). In addition, it holds
many special events throughout the year. Each July, there is a Bastille Day
celebration, complete with a comedic reinterpretation of the
storming of the Bastille and the tossing of thousands of Tastykakes from the
towers,[9]
accompanied by a cry of "let them eat Tastykake!" from an actress
portraying Marie Antoinette. In October, it offers the "Terror Behind the Walls"
haunted house.

A deteriorated cell.

The facility has been kept in "preserved ruin", meaning no significant
attempts have been made at renovations or upkeep.

Due to Eastern State's ominous appearance, gloomy atmosphere and
long history, it is used as a location for television shows and
movies about hauntings. Ghost Hunters , Ghost
Adventures and MTV's Fear
explored the supernatural at Eastern State, while Terry Gilliam's
film Twelve Monkeys used it as the setting
for a mental hospital. On June 1, 2007, Most Haunted
Live! conducted and broadcast a paranormal investigation
live (for the first time in the United States) from Eastern State
Penitentiary for an unprecedented seven continuous hours hoping to
come in contact with supernatural beings. Punk group the Dead
Milkmen also filmed the music video for their song "Punk Rock
Girl" in Eastern State. In the PlayStation 2 game, The Suffering, players can find a
video documentary of Eastern State Penitentary, one of the
inspirations for the game. In 1996 and 2000, the World
Monuments Fund included Eastern State Penitentiary on its World
Monuments Watch, its biennial list of the "Most Endangered"
cultural heritage sites.

In June 2008, Paramount Pictures used parts of
Eastern State Penitentiary for the filming of Transformers: Revenge
of the Fallen.

In September 2008 the History Press released Eastern State
Penitentiary: A History, the only comprehensive history book
currently in print about Eastern State. It was written by a former
tour guide with the assistance of the site's education director,
and has a forward written by the penitentiary's former social
worker.

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Prison Reform and
Rehabilitation

Prior to its closing in late 1969 Eastern State Penitentiary
(then known as State Correctional Institution, Philadelphia) had
established a far reaching program of group therapy with the goal
of having all inmates involved. From 1967, when the plan was
initiated, the program appears to have been moderately successful
as many inmates were involved in the groups which were voluntary.
An interesting aspect was that the groups were led by two
therapists, one from the psych or social work staff, and the second
from the prison officer staff.[10]

Art
exhibits

Ghost Cats - When the prison closed in 1971, a
colony of cats lived inside. When
restoration began, the cats were captured and neutered, thus
causing the cats to eventually die off. Artist Linda Brenner
sculpted 39 cat sculptures, which surround the property. The cat
sculptures were purposefully made of a material that slowly
dissolves over time to represent the inevitable natural decay that
faces all living things.

The End of the Tunnel - Hundreds of feet of
red piping were installed by artist Dayton Castleman representing
paths of escape routes used by prisoners.

Recollection Tableaux - Six dioramas were sculpted by artist Susan Hagen to
represent important moments in the prison's history. They are
scattered around cell block seven.

GTMO - A replica of a Guantanamo Bay cell was set up by artist
William Cromar inside one of the cells.

Midway of Another Day - A metal sundial set up to show "the
passing of time", set up by Michael Grothusen in the courtyard of
cell block one.

I always wanted to go to Paris,
France - Artist Alexa Hoyer set up three TV's, one in
a cell, one in a hallway, and one in a shower room, showing seven
decades of prison films. The title "I always wanted to go to Paris,
France" is a quote taken from one of the film excerpts screened in
the prisoner's cell.

Juxtaposition - Brothers Matthew and Jonathan
Stemler divided cell #34 in cell block 11 horizontally. A grid at
the ceiling supports a display of suspended plaster pieces along a
single plain. Ground micaschist poured onto the floor
softens the step and enhances the texture of the space, while a
bench provides a vantage point in which to view and consider the
overall effect of the piece.

My Glass House - An ongoing project set up by
artist Judith Taylor by taking black and white pictures of natural
habitat found in the
prison's walls. The prints are then turned into glass, and replace
the missing glass in the greenhouse in the courtyard of cell block
one.

Living Space- Created by Johanna Inman and
Anna Norton, Living Space consists of five videos containing
time-lapse photographs of the ways Eastern State Penitentiary is
altered by the changes of weather and light. The artists set up
their cameras in places that make Eastern State Penitentiary
unique, in order to capture the subtle ways nature plays upon the
structure of the building itself. The goal was to create
photographs which are contemplative in nature. By allowing the
public to see the gradual effects of time upon specific places in
the building, both growth and decay are recognized and explored as
components that make Eastern State Penitentiary a more living
space.

Purge Incomplete- Mary Jo Bole’s exhibit will
explore the history of plumbing at Eastern State Penitentiary.
Interestingly, the building has a history of having running water
before the White House. Consisting of sculptural pieces made of
resin, brass, and frosted glass, Bole’s designs are modeled after
John Haviland’s original design for the plumbing at Eastern State
Penitentiary. The exhibit will include views of the plumbing from
the vantage point of those residing or working at the prison,
including that of the prisoners, prison guards, and the
manufacturers of the plumbing. Additionally, the exhibit will
showcase the sculptures as having both opaque and translucent
factors, in which the translucent parts will glow within the
cells.

Philly Artblog- Roberta Fallon and Libby
Rosof, publishers and editors of one of America's top art blogs
visited the Eastern State Penitentiary's art exhibits and
documented them on video.[11]